“With a field of quality candidates, it is no surprise that no one has broken away from the pack,” said @WPAResearch CEO Chris Wilson (@WilsonWPA). “The important thing at this point of the race is staying in the conversation, and the fact that Rand Paul, Huckabee, Bush, Christie and Cruz are all managing to do that bodes well for them long term.”

The nationwide telephone poll was conducted from March 18-20th of 801 Republicans and Republican Leaning Independents. When asked, “If the Republican primary election for United States President were held today, for whom would you vote for…” the results were:

1. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) – 13%

Fmr. Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) – 13%

3. Fmr. Gov. Jeb Bush – 11% (R-FL)

4. Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) – 9%

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) – 9%

6. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) – 6%

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) – 6%

8. Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) – 5%

9. Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) – 3%

Fmr. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) – 3%

11. Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) – 1%

12. Don’t Know/Refused – 19%

Wilson added, “Rand Paul seems to be doing what his father never was able to and reaching out to other parts of the party to win support. While young voters are his best group, Paul also manages to pull in support from other age groups as well. He wins 16% of the 65-74 age group. Given that Christie support is driven from the moderate side of the party, his best move may be to move the conversation away from ideology to the idea that he is best positioned to beat Hillary.”

When participants were also asked about which candidates would have the best chance of beating Hillary Clinton in the 2016 general election for President, Sen. Paul and Gov. Christie each received 13% with Gov. Bush (12%), Sen. Rubio (9%), Huckabee (8%) and Sen. Cruz (8%) closely following.

“Christie is clearly not the first choice among GOP voters overall, but when you look at which candidate Republicans believe can beat Hillary Clinton there is evidence that the theory a moderate Republican can beat a liberal Democrat still holds some sway,”@WilsonWPA noted. “It’s a shame some Republicans haven’t learned the lessons of nominating moderate candidates like Bob Dole, John McCain or Mitt Romney.”

Additional Poll Background

48% of participants “more closely identified” with the “traditional Republican Party” while 42% chose the “Tea Party movement.”

50% of participants identified with being an “economic conservative concerned about jobs, economic growth, and debt.”

35% of participants identified with being a “social conservative concerned about moral values, protecting the family, and pro-life.”

Since 1998, WPA Opinion Research has been a leading provider of political polling for campaigns from Governor and U.S. Senate to Mayor and City Council in all 50 states and several foreign countries. WPA has been nationally recognized for its efforts to provide cutting edge research that produces positive outcomes for WPA’s clients. The American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) awarded its coveted “Pollie” to WPA for its innovative Adaptive Sampling and Predictive Analytics that allowed WPA to buck national GOP polling trends and deliver industry-leading results.